Darryl Way is a British rock and classical musician who was a founding member of Curved Air and co-writer of their only hit single, Back Street Luv. He is best known as a violinist although he also plays keyboards. After three albums and a hit single with Curved Air, he left in 1972 and formed the band Darryl Way's Wolf, which also recorded three albums before splitting. His next band, Stark Naked & The Car Thieves, went on hiatus when Curved Air reformed in late 1974. After the release of Live in 1975, Curved Air split, only to be reformed by Way primarily using members of Stark Naked & the Car Thieves. He recorded two studio albums with this new incarnation of the group before leaving again. In 1975 he did some session work for the Dutch band Trace for their album Birds. Moreover he appeared on 1978 recordings for Pierre Moerlen's Gong on their album Expresso II and for Jethro Tull on their album Heavy Horses. He then went on to release several solo albums, including Concerto For Electric Violin, which premiered on the South Bank Show with the Royal Philharmonia Orchestra in 1978. Curved Air reunited briefly in 1990 and a live recording of their reunion concert was released in 2000. In November 1996 his own opera, The Russian Opera, was premiered at The Place Theatre in London, and his song writing work includes music settings to lyrics by Steven Berkoff. In 2008 he took part in a series of Curved Air reunion concerts. One of his latest solo works is Myths, Legends And Tales. Myths, Legends And Tales is truly a solo effort because on this album he did everything on his own. From playing the keyboards and violins to programming the rhythms and doing the lead vocals. This album is certainly one of those albums which should be heard by lovers of progressive rock. His mix of electronic music with classical music and progressive rock works very well. Even sometimes some folk and jazz rock influences come to the surface as well. You might even accuse him of playing country rock or playing ragtime music. Throughout the entire album he manages to keep you focused until the last track has ended. All of the ten compositions are of a very high level and you do hear that a real professional is here at work. No leftovers or fillers can be found on this album about Greek mythology. There is also no time left to improvise. The songs sound compact and have something to tell music wise. Sometimes his music is very bombastic other times very romantic or even moves into rock territories but above all each song sounds very melodic. Something which Darryl forgot back in the seventies when he was more inclined to improvise. Also vocal wise he sounds very strong and has a voice which doesn't get boring. Overall you can say that Way comes up with a very fine solo album which is very underrated in the progressive rock scene. Therefore if you can lay your hands on Myths, Legends And Tales grab it with both hands. You won't be disappointed at all. This musical maestro certainly knows how to entertain. **** Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
